


feels like we've been here before

by heartbreakmichael



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, but he doesn't have a lot of friends so, luke is annoying as hell, michael is fond, philosophy class
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-03 15:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2855849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartbreakmichael/pseuds/heartbreakmichael
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>so, michael might have a thing for the annoying kid in his philosophy class.</p>
            </blockquote>





	feels like we've been here before

**Author's Note:**

> hello here's a little thing i wrote during an excruciating extended-family dinner.   
> i hope you guys like it!!   
> also i've never taken a philosophy class so i basically just bs'd my way through this so i apologize for mistakes.  
> oh, and this is unedited bc i'm lazy

"michael, michael, michael," the annoying boy next to him whispers repeatedly, poking the boy in the ribs twenty times (yes, michael counted. he finds it a good way to focus on something else besides the intense need to shoot himself or luke hemmings). "michael, mic-"

"say it one more fucking time," michael warns in what he thinks is an intimidating voice, glaring at luke.

"i was just trying to get your attention," luke smiles falsely, an innocent look on his face. michael locks his jaw.

"i was ignoring you. on purpose," he hisses harshly, pushing luke's shoulder lightly.

luke pouts. "why?"

"why not?" michael shrugs, trying to direct his attention to anything but the blonde boy next to him.

"because i'm cute." luke smirks, which is so annoying that michael balls his hands in his fists. like, luke knows that he's a twat and he also knows that he's pretty, so michael especially hates him.

"no, you're annoying," he grumbles, which is true, but even luke knows that michael isn't as bothered by the other boy nearly as much as he leads on.

"you like it."

"nope." he pops the p, thanking god when their teacher enters the classroom. 

she slams the textbook down on the podium, startling the whole class. her whole look is eccentric and michael doesn't hesitate to to take the piss (in his head because, no, he is not disrespectful. his mother raised him better than that, thank you very much). "okay, class. our first unit will be reincarnation."

"oh, joy," michael mutters. he looks over to see luke smiling a huge smile, looking like a kid who just got told that he's getting a puppy.

of fucking course luke would be excited.

the teacher grabs a piece of chalk and writes "reborn" on the board in big, capital letters, while michael tries to control the burning impulse he has to get up and leave. he's only in this class because he has to take it in order to graduate. believe him, he wouldn't be caught dead in philosophy unless it was absolutely necessary. unlike luke, who might as well be a mini aristotle or something. (okay, truth be told, michael has no clue who aristotle is but he did philosophy stuff and luke actually seems to enjpy philosophy, so close enough, right?)

anyway, miss jones turns to the class once again and practically violates them with her gaze as she chooses her first victim.

"michael," she grins at him and he literally wants to cry, "can you please tell us about the roots of reincarnation?"

michael has no clue, and this is really embarrassing and he can't even thinks because he gets a mental block whenever he's nervous, but then he gets tapped on the shoulder and luke is brandishing his open notebook towards michael's flushed face, and he's stuttering out a faint, "hinduism?"

miss jones scowls at him, clearly upset that he hasn't failed, as she thought he would. "correct." she clasps her hands together. "the earliest form of reincarnation that is the most similar to that of modern day developed in india. hinduism's teaching brought about a new concept - one of which stated that, if you were to live correctly, you would come back in a higher social class in the next life."

luke grins at this, poking michael in his still-red cheek. "I bet we were lovers in a past life."

michael literally almost punches him in the face, like, his fist is balled up and he has to take deep breaths and count to ten to both prevent himself from using physical force and from smiling because this kid is ridiculous (and sort of adorable - but mostly ridiculous.)

"yeah, maybe we were," michael starts, a mischievous grin on his face. luke smiles widely, victory etched into his cheekbones. "maybe you had this lovely wife and all that picket fence shit, but you wasted it all and started fucking around with me. and you fell in love, even though it was always just about sex for me. and maybe when your wife found out, she stabbed you, like, 33 times. reincarnation, man."

luke's smile falters, but only for a second before he's little miss sunshine again. "way to get into the spirit, mikey."

michael rubs his temples, "don't, don't, _don't_ call me that. _ever_."

luke smirks, "got ya, _mikey_."

michael slams his head down on his desk as miss jones drones on and luke sings under his breath. he wonders if he'll get a concussion if his head hits the surface hard enough and contemplates doing it again - but harder - because if he gets a concussion then he probably won't have to come to school for a few days. it's tempting but if he did get one and end up in the e.r. for a few hours, luke would probably show up and refuse to leave his bedside, which would be irritating beyond belief. so michael decides against getting a concussion in class. he can barely deal with luke as is, dealing with the kid while in pain would probably earn him a life sentence in prison.

michael finally sits up and finds luke's face is incredibly close to his. michael scowls and pushes the blonde boy away from him. "go back to your seat, luke."

"I can't. miss jones said we have to sit by our partner."

"no. no no no no no. we're not working together on whatever dumb project she's assigned now. I will not let myself be subjected to this... this _torture_!" michael stands up dramatically. "miss jones! please let me work by myself. i will do _anything_."

"michael, sit down," she sighs, turning back to the novel she'd been reading.

michael stares at the board with a dejected look on his face. they're supposed to partner up and write a scene about reincarnation. it would be easy - if he weren't forced to work with someone so annoying. like, michael's pretty sure luke's set the world record for most annoying person on this earth.

"this is just cruel," michael declares, slouching in his seat. he looks over to see luke with a sad look on his face, his lips turned down and his eyes squinted up. oh god, michael's hurt his feelings. "don't be that way." michael says in what he thinks is a nice tone. it comes out condescending. he awkwardly pats luke's back and luke takes this as an excuse to latch on to michael tightly and bury his face in the crook of his neck.

"thanks for talking to me," luke whispers. and michael wants to say that he doesn't have a choice - almost does - but he can't actually hurt this kid. luke's too sweet, albeit annoying, and fragile.

"you're welcome. I guess you're sort of okay." michael coughs uncomfortably. "let's start writing our script. lovers in a past life?" luke holds michael tighter and michael actually wraps his arms around the boy, holding him close.

"thanks, mikey." michael doesn't correct him.

he hopes that this project doesn't end up in him stabbing the kid

 

\---

 

that afternoon, they meet up at luke's house to finish writing and start planning costumes and props (miss jones is also the head o the drama department, which means she won't cut them any slack on this assignment).

luke unlocks the front door, stepping inside with a bounce and pulling michael along by his hand. it occurs to michael then that, even though he and luke have known each other for years and have the same sort-of-friends, he's never been in luke's house or met his mom.

"mom! I'm home! and I brought a friend!" luke calls and a woman comes in the living room.

"oh, hello." she smiles warmly, and michael tentatively wonders how someone so obnoxious could come from a woman who seems so nice and calm.

"mom, this is michael. michael, this is my mom."

michael smiles tightly, hoping his eyes don't scream out help. "hello, mrs. hemmings. nice to meet you."

"nice to meet you too, michael. it's always great to meet luke's friends. he doesn't have all that many, you know."

luke shoots her a half-hearted glare, pairing it with a hissed, "mom!" michael stops himself from telling her that they're not really friends, just two people who hate each other but don't? michael doesn't really know what they are, but they're not best buds or anything.

"we'll be in my room," luke mutters, dragging michael upstairs.

once they're in his room, luke settles on the floor, taking michael down with him. as he starts spreading out their notebooks and pens, michael takes the opportunity to analyze his room. it's covered from ceiling to floor in posters of bands that michael loves, along with some photos of luke with various band members. there's two guitars in one corner - one electric and one acoustic - and the floor is spotless. there's a bookshelf on the one wall not covered in posters and it's filled with books precariously thrown onto the various shelves.

michael walks over to the bookshelf, figuring that luke won't really mind him snooping around, since he's been over the moon at the fact he actually has another human being in his room, talking to him. michael thinks it's sort of cute, but he quickly smashes those thoughts and focuses on the books in front of him.

most are fiction, but a good bit of them are about philosophy or subtopics relating to it. michael didn't realize that luke had an interest in the subject beyond the classroom, but he feels grateful to be working with someone knowledgeable in the topic. 

he returns to their spot on the floor, starting to write down some ideas for their scene. it hits him in that moment that he and luke hemmings are going to preform the most gay scene imaginable in front of the entire class. not that michael cares; he's gone through the past four years not giving a shit about what people think and he's not going to change that now. it's just that he hopes luke isn't scared or anything. 

michael came out to everyone at school his freshman year in some big display of making out with upperclassman ashton irwin (who would later become one of his best friends) in the middle of the hallway. his parents already knew, had helped him through his period of confusion during his late middle school years. 

but luke never really came out per say. everyone has always just assumed but been too afraid to test their assumption. like, this play could be a big coming out, and michael wants luke to be ready for that because even though he seems secure in his sexuality, michael doesn't think he's ready for how mean people can be once you assert yourself. 

michael voices his concerns while luke's rambling on about costumes in relation to their chosen time period.

luke just grins and says, "I am what i and, and if anyone has a problem with that, they can go fuck themselves."

michael wants to kiss him, but it's only a fleeting thought, in the moment. he swears it is.

-

over the next month and a half, they work on the project, taking turns visiting each other's house. they'd finished the entire thing a week after their routine started, but neither of them really wanted to stop.

of course, they would never admit this to each other, so they used the excuse that they were rehearsing in their meetings, yet they never read through more than a word of the scene before they're in a pillow fort, talking about everything and nothing all at once.

it's nice. michael likes spending time with luke, and he no longer bitches about the boy to his friends like he used to. instead, he tells calum and ashton about how great luke is (and they tease him nonstop for it).

as for luke, at first he was just excited to have a friend. he spent his whole high school experience having only acquaintances because he was a kind of agitating that took a while to get used to and no one seemed to be too keen on sticking around to meet the kind and rather lovely boy who lived underneath all his loud behavior. but, as time went on, it became more than that; it was the fact that when they were together, even amid michael's constant insults and relentless teasing, luke finally didn't feel lonely. he felt like he could tell michael anything. 

they're lying on top of a blanket in michael's back yard, two more draped over their bodies because it's about 50 degrees out. the sun is still out, but it'll be setting soon enough.

"michael?" luke asks quietly, turning his body to face the other boy. michael mirrors his position, snuggling further underneath the blankets. 

"yeah?" he asks. it comes out muffled and the whole thing makes luke feel a little less nervous. 

"we're friends, right?" luke mumbles hesitantly. he just needs to make sure because he's so insecure about this and he's never really known what a friendship feels like - not a real one, not one like this. 

michael scoots closer to him, pulling the boy into his chest and holding him tight. "the best." 

luke presses his face to michael's chest, feeling so incredibly happy. 

and michael's happy too - happy that he gave "the most annoying person ever" a chance and realized that he's more like "the coolest person ever who can come across as annoying at first but is so much more than that."

-

they do their scene the following tuesday. 

it goes okay - their acting is decent, their costumes are accurate to the time period (the 1920s), their props don't break, and people don't seem to be too fazed by the whole lovers/sexual tension/almost-making-out thing (some people give luke shit about it later, but michael punches them in the face for it, resulting in a week's suspension). 

michael doesn't care about how the project went, couldn't bring himself to if he tried, because all he can think - worry - about is whether or not he and luke will continue talking and being friends now that this project is over with. it's an irrational fear because michael knows luke wouldn't leave him, but it's a fear nonetheless.

his fears are eradicated when luke stops him in the hallway to make sure they're still on for hanging out at luke's this afternoon. michael has never in his entire life felt so relieved. he smiles so hard he's sure his face will get stuck that way and he'll end up looking like the cheshire cat for the rest of his life.

so michael cancels the backup plans he'd made with ashton and calum when he'd been second-guessing their friendship (which causes them to bitch about how michael always hangs out with luke and is leaving them for him and it's not fair) (michael seems to be giving up a lot for this kid but he can't help it).

they end up sitting on luke's bed and watching some comedy that michael thinks is dumb but luke thinks is hilarious. luke's face keeps scrunching up in laughter and 

(fuck, michael thinks he might be in love).

-

he decides to tell luke this five months later. 

well, he doesn't actually decide to tell luke. it sort of just happens. an accident, really. 

of course it happens in philosophy class. how romantic. 

michael's been zoned out for the past thirty or so minutes, while luke is completely and utterly absorbed into what miss jones is lecturing about.

he nudges michael with a scowl. "pay attention."

michael rolls his eyes, "not everyone can be as interested in this stuff as you are."

he pouts. "it's not my fault i'm perfect in every way."

"yeah, right," michael scoffs. 

"shut up, you agree."

"do not."

"do too. i'm onto you, michael clifford. you're secretly in love with me."

michael shrugs, "yeah."

luke's eyes widen when michael doesn't laugh or do anything to indicate its a joke and all michael can really do is mutter a "shit!" and hate his life because it's too late to backtrack now. 

michael hides his face in his hands. he's mortified. 

but then his face is being pried away from his hands and is suddenly being held in another pair. 

and the next thing he knows he and luke are being given a month's worth of detention for making out in the middle of a lecture on heaven and hell. 

-

the last thing they learn about in philosophy is the concept of chance v.s. choice. and their first assignment in the unit is to write a one thousand word essay about the most important thing in their life and whether it happened because of chance or choice.

luke thinks about this, looks over at the purple-haired boy sitting on his bed, staring intently at the television screen in front of him, his tongue sticking out in concentration as his fingers move swiftly over the game controller's buttons. and then luke knows. he knows that this happened neither by chance nor choice. what they have - it's more than a shift in the universe or a the decision between a red and blue shirt on a saturday. 

it's your first real friendship. it's the way your eyes look when you're lying in the grass and he's telling a story about his childhood. it's getting kicked out of a philosophy class on multiple occasions and laughing so hard in the hallway that you think you might cry.

what they have - it's all those things and it's so much and so special.

chance would imply randomness, choice would imply that they forced something, but it wasn't random, it was meant to be, and it wasn't forced, it was the best thing they could ever imagine. 

"luke?" michael asks, pausing his game and pulling luke's attention from his computer screen. 

"hmm?"

"we definitely were lovers in a past life." 


End file.
